The Story from the Street
by Twilight Dancer123
Summary: BatmanTT crossover. RobRae. Raven is just another homeless teen on the street to some but when she gets taken away from The Hideout by nonother than Batman she gets acquainted with Richard Grayson and it feels like she has no choice but to love him.
1. The street, Gloves, Attack

A/N Sorry that I deleted Temptress. I had removed it from my files earlier and just reread it on Sadly it wasn't my best work. This is most likely going to be my longest fic ever. The story has been playing out in my mind for a while. Please Read, Enjoy, and Review this first chapter.

Disclaimer: Why would I be on my family computer if I owned them! I would be so rich that I could buy the laptop that I've wanted since I was five.

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Raven ran towards the back alleys of Gotham. Her dirty, tattered clothing flapped in the wind as her feet flew taking her to the Hideout. The Hideout was a safe haven for the homeless teens and their younger siblings. She stood panting as her best friend Gloves walked over to her.

Gloves was the best thief in all of Gotham. She never left a trace of herself at a crime scene. Then again, they never really took much. But they wouldn't find out who it was if they searched, hence the name Gloves.

"Hey girl, where ya been? I haven't seen you in hours." Gloves asked patiently. Gloves had short brown hair and crystal blue eyes that you could see white flecks in if you peered close enough. (**§**)

Raven looked up. "Just running some errands. Hey look what I gotcha Gloves." Raven held up some black biker gloves. See, Gloves had a thing for biker gloves; she said that they were more comfortable because of the cut off fingers which left them free enough to grab stuff quickly and protected her hands when she fell. Actually, Raven had never seen Gloves fall.

"Oh, cool Rae! Thanks. Was this why that hideous cop was chasin' you?" Gloves said cheerfully. Raven nodded quickly.

"Hey, Gloves!" Shouted a boy. This was Gloves's boyfriend, well kinda. It wasn't like they could go out somewhere nice. Xavier (**†**) had bright blonde hair that almost touched his shoulders and seemed to have a grayish background making it look almost white. His hair almost covered his earring which he had gotten before he lived out on the street. The only thing he ever wore in the piercing was a silver hoop.

Raven chuckled when Gloves blushed. Naturally no one bugged them when Xavier and Gloves talked to each other. Raven watched the couple leave The Hideout. She sighed remembering what _they _had told her. _They_ were the most likely candidates for the multi-dimensional best self-confidence destroyers. They told her that she could never have a family or any comfort of that kind. She had proved them wrong by becoming best friends with Vendetta (Gloves's real name). She may never prove them wrong about having a family though. It wasn't that she didn't want a family, just; she didn't think she would ever feel that way about someone. Maybe she was wrong. The future was a long ways away. She didn't need to worry about it right now.

* * *

Soon the entire gang was sitting in a big circle on the ground waiting for Andy to pass around what they were eating that night. See, everyone that could contributed to the meal every night. They never had much but everyone did their best to improvise. Some people worked in restaurants or grocery stores; some stole if they preferred to get more food for that night. (Raven had found a twenty dollar bill earlier and the group had spent it on some of the food.) At the Hideout everyone supported each other. It was a team effort that seriously understood what was going on with each person.

In the middle of the meal they were interrupted by a very large, intimidating shadow. A muscular man wearing a long tattered looking cape and a mask that covered his entire face besides his mouth jumped out from the shadows. The kids scrambled away and in the flurry Raven was knocked down hard and fell unconscious to the cracked pavement.

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A/N This only took a few days to write but I got lazy and skipped it yesterday so it isn't as long as I thought it would be. Please review. Cheers to whoever can guess he the masked man is

**§: **OK, so Gloves is based off me, I did always want my name to Vendetta though.

†This character is based off of my crush Bryce who told me that he had wanted to be called Xavier.


	2. The Manor and Richard

A/N I'm back and feeling better. I actually wrote part of this in Raven's P.O.V. then decided it sucked and got rid of it. Enjoy :) .

Disclaimer: Dude! You guys already know I don't own them so why do I have to keep doing this thing every single time.

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Raven was asleep. But as she started to feel sore she opened her eyes. The room was odd looking. There were tinted windows that led to a darker room and all around her were machines that blinked and beeped. One machine was starting to speed up. It was monitoring her heart beat. 

There was a strong "Ahem" and she turned to see a strong looking man wearing casual black pants and a simple red T-shirt. She tried to ask his name but her throat was so dry. She tried again, harder, and lapsed into a coughing fit. The man put his hand on her back as the rasps ripped her throat into pieces. He handed her a paper cup filled with water and she drank it gratefully.

"My name is Bruce, I live in this house with my adoptive son; you will meet him later. What is your name?" Raven could tell that he was trying to sound gentle but his voice made her feel uncomfortable.

"M-my n-name i-is R-R-Raven." She answered shyly. She could feel her voice as it was lost in her throat. Raven tried to sit up. Bruce pushed her gently back to her pillow.

"Okay, Raven. How old are-" Bruce was cut off as a teenage boy burst into the room. He was about six feet tall with black hair and sunglasses that hid his eyes from view. Behind him were two other boys. One was a taller African American who seemed to be covered in technology. Standing behind the first two was a short boy with green hair and skin and eyes. HE looked like he had been through a nuclear waste dump.

"Ummm… Bruce who is this, and why is she in the Batcave?" The first boy asked, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Richard, this is Raven. She was knocked out in an alleyway. Raven, this is my son, Richard. I apologize for his rudeness." Bruce smiled slightly at Raven. She sat and studied the three boys as they stared at her.

"Well. Hi, ummm… Raven. I'm Richard, this is Vic, and the grass stain is Gar. Ummm… welcome to Wayne Manor." Richard said grabbing her hand and brushing his lips over the back of it. She looked at him oddly. Raven felt that she had seen him somewhere before. That was impossible. She had never spoken to him in her life.

Richard let her hand fall gently into her lap. She smiled weakly at him as his grin sparked up out of nowhere. Raven couldn't fathom the sincere mystery that was him. Judging from the look in his eyes the probably never would.

"Boys, would you leave us now. Raven needs to rest and I still need some answers from her." Bruce smiled kindly at the young men. Raven watched them leave with sad eyes. Bruce didn't notice and asked her his last question again. "Now Raven. How old are you?"

"I'm fifteen. I turn sixteen in three days." Raven said with new confidence. Something about Richard's smile had rejuvenated her. She felt more confident now.

"Ahhh, I guess that means I need to get you a gift right?" Bruce asked jokingly.

Raven shrugged. "I haven't gotten a present on my birthday since I was five. After that my mum sent me here to live with relatives. They didn't want me after I spent a few days with them. They kinda just left me in the park one day."

"Oh, well, now I think I'll definitely get you something." His eyes wrapped her in a warm smile as she fell back asleep on the gurney.

§†§

Raven woke to find herself in a large four-poster bed. The curtains fell freely from their hooks and Raven was surrounded by cloth. The canopy, the curtains, and the bedspread were all a deep royal red. The sheets were silk and the comforter was thick, old cotton. The velvet curtains blocked the outside world from view.

She sat up and slowly pulled opened a curtain and peeked through. There was an enormous amount of light coming from the large window and a set of French doors which looked to lead out to a large balcony.

Out of the blue she felt someone sit next to her on the bed. She spun around rapidly only to come face to face with Richard. He was smirking cockily at her surprise. "What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I was bored so I decided to see if you were awake. Now I'm going to bug you until CSI comes back on." He lied down on the bed with his hands behind his head.

"Bug this you idiot." She replied and shoved him of the bed. He fell to the floor with his body on the oriental carpet and his head on the hard wood floor. As he walked out the door he muttered under his breathe:

"_Bitch."

* * *

_

A/N Sorry this took so long. I somehow got voted captain of my project group and I really don't think we got a good grade on it. I really want an A because I got a B on my last test and it brought down my A average. I'll update soon. WickedAce was the only one to answer the question correctly but everyone gets a cookie because I know you'll all make me feel guilty if I don't. Now AvatarRox1234 ships VendAvier (Vendetta (Gloves) x Xavier) which is basically shipping me with this guy I have a crush on. His real name is Bryce but I overheard him talking about how he had always wanted to be called Xavier and decided that if I couldn't have him in real life that I should have him in this story.


	3. Breakfast or Richard's Room

A/N Okay, I know I am late with this but I blame my friend Monti (Montana) for holding me up so long when she called to borrow a book. She talks a lot. Not as much as AvatarRox1234 though. My mom answered the phone once and pretended to be me for a while well AR decided to talk so fast my mom couldn't understand it. BTW it was my mom's 40th B-day on Tuesday. Better get started before someone decides they want roasted me for a midnight snack.

Disclaimer: I have about five key chains from Subway with their pictures on them and my brother got the game for Easter. Sadly, I don't have anything else.

* * *

Raven sat up. Had that been a dream or had Richard really come into her room? Maybe she had been semi-conscious. Just awake enough for her to notice the details of the large bedroom but still far enough asleep to dream up Richard being in her room. That must be it. There was no way that Richard -whom she hardly knew- would come to her room.

Raven paused as she heard the curtains of the four poster rustle. "Richard, is that you? Bruce? Hello? Is anyone there?" Raven became rigid as the curtains were pulled back just enough to reveal the face of a young woman. She seemed pale but as Raven looked closer Raven noticed that the girl was translucent. The objects behind her were noticeable through her face.

"Hello." The woman said simply. Her voice was bright and hopeful.

"Who are you?" Raven asked. Her mind was clouded over by the possibilities of what the girl could be. A ghost or even a highly developed hologram. Of course there were more. Raven could be asleep again. Or maybe someone was trying to scare her.

"I am Kori Anders. I was Richard's friend girl until my body expired." The girl replied. She had completely pulled back the curtains and Raven could see that she was very tall. Maybe even taller than Richard.

Ignoring the odd wording that Kori had answered with, Raven continued her questioning. "If you're dead then why are you hanging around here?" It seemed like a stupid question to Raven but Kori smiled.

"I was left without my physical life too early and Richard and I never finished our relationship. Now I haunt his home to find his perfect love. I must see the way you and he interact before I let you join with him in the joys of a relationship. So far you seem to attract him. And if I understand correctly, you are attracted to him, yes?" Raven nodded slowly, unsure of what the ghost wanted to hear.

"Wonderful! What is your name? What color do you find most enjoyable? What is your past? How old are you? And do you wish to love Richard?" Raven stared at Kori, wondering how even a ghost could go that long without taking a deep breath.

"Umm, my name is Raven Roth, my favorite color is black, I really don't feel like sharing my life story at the moment, I'm either fifteen or sixteen, and I guess I'd like to get to know Richard. I could fall in love with him. It just depends on what he's like." Raven answered lazily.

"Joyous, new friend Raven." Kori gasped loudly. Raven turned away quickly to look at the door.

"You might wanna leave now." She whispered carefully to the ghost. Kori was gone before she finished speaking. Raven lied down and listened as what she estimated to be about two sets of footsteps trudged their way up to her room. When the doorknob clicked she closed her eyes, not wanting to face anyone right now. There was a light breeze as the curtains to her right were pulled away.

"Raven, wake up." Whispered the person closest to her. Warm hands drifted to her arms and shook her gently.

Raven yawned and stretched her arms out. Blinking slowly, she sat up. She felt a weight fall on to the bed. Someone was sitting next to her. She looked up. Richard sat, smiling at her, on the right side of the bed.

"Hey." He whispered. "I think it's time for you to get up." He gestured toward a tall, older man carrying a tray full of food.

Raven watched as the man set the tray down next to her. "Thank you Alfred." Richard said. The man called Alfred left the room. "Go ahead. Eat. You look like you need it."

"I… ummm. Thanks." She whispered, staring at the large plate of food in front of her.

"You're welcome. Oh, when you're done, get dressed. The clothes are in that wardrobe over there. Then, come and get me. My room is right across the hall. Bruce has a surprise for you."

Raven nodded. There was nothing to say. Richard left the room quietly.

She stared at the large amount of food on her plate and wondered of she was expected to eat all of it. She ate about a quarter of the food and set the tray aside.

Raven carefully went over what Richard had said in her mind. 'Eat, get dressed, find Richard, go see Bruce's surprise.'

'Where're the clothes again?' She thought to herself. Sitting up she looked over the room silently. She noticed the large, solid mahogany wardrobe in the corner.

Raven stood and walked toward the tall, old object. Opening the doors she was amazed to find a vast array of clothing. Looking over the pieces she found a few potential outfits. She pulled out a pair of light wash jeans and a simple black tee-shirt.

She pulled on her choices quickly. Looking in a large mirror she noticed that her hair needed to be brushed. She found a brush easily and began her least favorite activity: trying to get the knots out of her hair. She had of course brushed her hair before but not very often and not after lying in bed for who knows how long.

Finishing quickly she stood and raced for the door, slipping on a pair of black velvet ballet flats that sat next to it. She fumbled with the lock and opened the door. Right across the hall was another door.

'Richard's room.' Was her last thought before she stumbled forward and knocked sharply on the door.

* * *

A/N Mwuahahahaha. Yeah, another cliffy. You aren't going to get more outta me until I decide I'm not tired anymore. Review before I decide to annihilate you.

-Allie

P.S. Genie died. Sorry, but you missed the funeral.


	4. Guns and Clowns

A/N I have been inspired by a writers conference wherein I met real authors form my area. Plus they gave me Oreos sooooo… I'm back! Sorry this is really late; I just haven't had very much time lately. Yeah, I'll stop gabbing and write.

* * *

Disclaimer: Look for my name when the credits play. It isn't there is it?

The door opened slowly. On the other side was a boy just a few years older than her. He looked exactly as he had just twenty minutes ago. But he seemed different somehow. His expression was blank and his eyes seemed unseeing. Maybe it was just her. She wasn't used to seeing people like this.

His eyes actually looked a different color though. Hadn't they been blue earlier? They were brown now. She couldn't say anything. He pulled on her wrist and half dragged her to the stairs. Different, very different. He hadn't been rough with her that morning. Something was definitely wrong. She was just too afraid to ask.

"So, Raven, where did you come from again?" He asked. His voice was different too.

"I thought I already told you that Richard." Raven answered. She was trying to sound uninterested. When they arrived downstairs the front hall was dark. She could hardly see the looming shapes of the furniture. Then she noticed a round, tall, layered shape. A cake. It was her birthday.

Suddenly the lights were on. Bruce was standing in front of her with a huge smile on his face. "Happy birthday, Raven." He bellowed.

She felt something cold and hard pressed against her back. A gun. What was going on? Bruce was studying Richard's face with an odd expression.

"You're not Richard." His eyes widened in realization. The man behind me cocked the gun, getting ready to fire. Bruce heard the click and jumped at her. Bad idea. There was a bang as the bullet was released. She felt I pierce her back. She couldn't scream or cry out. Raven fell to the floor clutching her side.

Bruce was attacking a man who had now unmasked himself and was sporting a clown suit. What was with these people? She could understand if they had enemies. They were rich after all. But hand-to-hand combat with gun-wielding clowns? Something was seriously wrong with them.

Raven slowly pushed herself into a sitting position, trying to ignore the blood and the pain gushing out of her side. She noticed a thick, gauzy napkin sitting on the table. She grabbed it and started wrapping it tightly around her thin waist. It reminded her of when her friend Hex was shot. The guy that did it took her away, towards the hospital. They never saw her again and assumed she had been given to a foster home. That or she died.

Chewing on her lip, Raven somehow crawled over to the staircase. The pain was hard to resist now, but she pulled herself up the stairs. She almost cried when she reached the first floor. If she could drag her body just another few feet she would be able to reach the elevator. She could see the metal doors from the place where she sat panting on the floor. Shoving her legs beneath her, Raven slowly, painfully crawled her way to her only chance.

The elevator took her to the third floor. She grabbed the conveniently placed chair rail and stood, leaning on the flimsy piece of wood for support. Pushing herself along the wall she tried to recognize the doors that lead to her and Richard's rooms. Everything looked the same. The hall was spinning and she breathed deeply.

There were two sets of feet standing in front of her. She was on the ground. She looked up, her vision filled with black spots. A thin, formally dressed man, Alfred. She recognized Richard's spiky black hair. His bright blue eyes were easily seen, even in the dim light of the hall. The younger man bent down and pushed her on to her back. She flinched and cried out.

Raven's eyes were squeezed shut in pain. Richard lifted her off the floor. He ran down the stairs. And she fainted. A voice resounded around her.

_"Happy birthday Raven…"_

* * *

A/N Seriously sorry this is so late. School just got out and my mom signed me up for a bunch of things she _thought _I might like. I have a sort of contest for all of you who want to do it. Answer this question:

How old am I?

Oh, Ali, you aren't allowed to answer that.

See you when I decide to Update again.


	5. Inquiries and Hallucinations

Bruce stood from his chair at the girl's bedside. Alfred was checking on her monitors opened the door. He listened to the beeping of the heart rate monitor. The rhythm was steady and even. As he stepped out of the room it became sharp and irregular.

He whirled around. Raven was thrashing about in her bed. Bruce ran over and held her down. She shrieked and screamed. And suddenly Richard was forcing her shoulders down to the bed. Bruce didn't have time to wonder how he'd gotten there.

Raven's eyes snapped open and she stared at the two men holding her down. "What's going on?" her voice was almost a whisper. Bruce looked at Alfred. The old man shook his head.

Richard was staring at Raven. Why was she asking that question? She knew very well what was going on. She was in Wayne Manor and she had been lying in bed for two days.

She sat up and frantically ran her hands down her back, Richard quirked and eyebrow at her. She looked around the room in a very confused manner.

She began muttering to herself. He could barely hear her. "It just happened. This isn't possible. I don't have a wound. And there's no bandaging." What wound? Did she need bandaging?

"Raven? What are you talking about?"

"The clown, he shot me! And you weren't you and then Bruce and the clown were fighting."

Alfred put the back of his hand to her forehead. "She doesn't have a fever."

"Hallucinogens?" Bruce asked.

"We tested her when she got here. Nothing showed up."

"Test her again; anything on the planet that she could have breathed in, swallowed, or been injected with."

Richard watched silently as his mentor and the butler took blood samples, pulled hairs and searched her entire body for needle tracks. Raven twitched impatiently every few minutes. An hour passed and Bruce and Alfred left to sift through their newly acquired samples. Raven was quiet until the door clicked shut.

"That wasn't a hallucination Richard." She whispered.

"Who knows? What about the clown? What did he look like?"

"Green hair, purple suit, his face was painted white."

"That sounds like the Joker."

"The Joker?"

"He's completely psychotic. We grab every once-in-a-while."

"You know what's weird?"

"Mmm."

"I feel like I've met you before. Bruce too, kinda like I've lived here."

"Impossible."

"Not completely. When I turned thirteen, I woke up on the streets wearing a white robe. I don't remember anything before that."

Richard sat down next to the bed, immediately interested in Raven's eyes. His eyes ached from their luminescence. So compelled was by here eyes he couldn't help but utter, "Violet."

"Hmm?"

"Nothing. Do you remember your parents?"

Raven smirked, however curt he was with her…

"Kind of… I remember my mother. But my father didn't exist outside what she whispered about him to my grandmother. Is Bruce your father?"

"No. He adopted me after my parents were killed." He had started to withdraw from her. She wouldn't give up though.

The doorknob twisted and in stepped the large, entirely too imposing Bruce Wayne. Raven pushed herself from the bed. Richard watched as her small feet planted themselves on the floor.

"Your Angela's daughter, aren't you?"

* * *

A/N Cliffie. Ha. Sorry I haven't updated in a while. My friend AvatarRox1234 finally urged this out of me. Plus I'm sick today so it was easier to actually get to the computer without my brother here. Sorry, I slow. I promise I'll start the next chapter later tonight. 


	6. Victoria's Secret and Dinner with a Bat

A/N Sorry, I've been tired… and lazy. I would have typed this up last night but I had Ski Club. Thanks for reviewing:

Dragon-Fire-Fairy

Dancing through the Storm

sparklyscrunchies

Queen-of-SHIPPING-25

Vianna

I 3 you all!

Disclaimer: Look, it's them. They're running toward the trap! Crap. They saw me.

Here we go again.

* * *

Raven gave Bruce an odd look. Roth sounded familiar. But she couldn't place it. How did he expect her to know this? For nearly three years she had known nothing but the alleyways of Gotham. Before that was thirteen years of a life she might never remember.

Richard looked concerned. She realized she hadn't yet answered.

"I… don't know. It sounds familiar. Who was she?" Raven was improvising. Again.

"Angela Roth went missing about seventeen years ago. Her father was verbally abusive and she thought she could make it alone. I saw a year after she disappeared. She was pregnant. I never saw her again. You are her daughter. The blood test proves it."

Bruce looked like he might be sick. But he didn't leave for another ten minutes while Raven sat silently and took it in.

When Bruce did leave Richard grabbed her hand. "I know that you didn't know. But did you want to?"

She looked at him. "Does it matter now? Now that I know?"

"Yes"

"Well, I guess I did. Now I can start putting it all back together."

"Hmmm?"

"Her life. If I understand what happened to her, I can understand what happened to me."

Richard smiled. It seemed like the last thing a person would do at this moment, but he did.

* * *

Later that night Richard returned to the room. He looked tired. He smiled at her anyway.

"Alfred told me to take you upstairs. This one might be needed later. Your new room will be right across the hall from mine." Richard whispered in Raven's ear.

Raven suddenly realized that she wasn't on the bed anymore, Richard was carrying her up the stairs.

"I can walk."

"And I can carry you."

She laughed. Almost immediately, Raven started recognizing things from her vision. An antique vase, the old walnut floors. The stairs creaked memorably as they move toward the third floor. Then she saw the chair rail. Her hand brushed it. She could feel its smooth wood under her fingers.

Richard set her on her feet. She wanted to shriek when she saw the door of the room from her vision. Across from it was Richard's room. He opened the door to her room, she almost choked from the dust it stirred.

"I guess no one's been here for a while. Alfred should clean this up before you move in. You'd never breathe right again if you spent the night in here."

"Should I go back downstairs then?"

"No, you can have my bed. I'll sleep on the floor." He looked at his watch. "Damn, we're late. Come here. Bruce got you some clothes."

Raven realized that she was still wearing the old gown she had woken up in. He pulled her into his room and handed her a bag from an expensive store she had never heard of. She started toward the open bathroom door but Richard stopped her.

"I think you'll need this too." He held out a Victoria's Secret bag and she took it. Her face got hot and she realized she was blushing profusely.

With both bags in her hands, she ran for the bathroom without looking back. Raven closed the door quickly. She opened the Victoria's Secret bag first. Four silky bras and an assortment of thongs fell into her hand. Amazingly,the bras fit perfectly. All of them were deep red covered in lace. The thongs took a little getting used to, but ended up being comfortable in the end.

Next came the clothes. She pulled out a pair of jeans and a black V-neck shirt. Lace surrounded the neckline but she put it on anyway.

After getting dressed, Raven found a brush in a drawer under the sink. She pulled it through her hair which she realized Alfred must have washed when she had arrived.

Someone knocked on the door. "Raven, hurry up. We're going to be late for dinner."

Raven pulled the door open and found herself staring at Richard's chest. He handed her a pair of black flats which she hastily put on. She followed him swiftly down the stairs. After moving through three different rooms they finally entered the dining room. Bruce was sitting at the head of the table and one place on either side of him was set.

Richard pulled out her chair for her and waited until she was comfortable to walk around the table to the spot facing her. Despite his gentlemanly behavior, Richard was still a teenage boy and ate like, well, a teenage boy. But so did Raven. Bruce ignored them until they were finished.

"Raven, I guess you're part of the Wayne family now. Has Richard shown you your room yet?"

Raven nodded.

Richard spoke up.

"Bruce, the room needs to be cleaned. There's enough dust up there to choke a horse."

"Oh. Well, Raven could sleep on the couch."

"She could have my bed. I could sleep on the floor. Or my couch."

"Alright. Nothing funny though Dick."

"Of course not."

Raven followed Richard up the stairs. After she pulled on the pajama set she found in the bag she'd been given, she collapsed on Richard's soft bed.

Richard pulled the covers over her and watched her fall asleep. Her birthday was tomorrow.

'_I should get her a present.'_

A/N This chapter didn't take me as long as I thought it would. Now I'm bored. Anyway… You should review.


	7. Scissors and Blissful Moments

Disclaimer: Look, a window! Dang it! They didn't fall for it. Oh, well. I don't own them.

* * *

It was very early in the morning when Richard decided to get off his ass and buy Raven a present. This was going to be hard. She wasn't a normal girl. Therefore, she didn't like normal girl things. And he barely knew her. "This is going to take a while." He muttered.

* * *

Raven watched him move around the room. He finally grabbed a wallet and a pair of shoes and turned the doorknob slowly. Richard pulled the door inward carefully and twisted the knob again before shutting the door altogether. He was probably just trying to get away from her. But he was always so nice.

She just happened to glance at the clock. The red numbers burned bore into her eyes: 2:18 a.m. It was 2:18 a. freakin' m. Raven wanted to sleep, but it was impossible to close her eyes. She was beginning to think about tomorrow. What if they kicked her out? What if they made her go shopping or have a huge birthday party? She cringed. She wouldn't mind being out on the streets again, but a party? That was something she couldn't handle. She wanted to be back with Gloves and Xavier.

Silent tears fell from her eyes as she imagined her friends. What if someone hadn't survived? It would have been easy to lose one of the younger ones in the huge crowd. Raven sat up. She shouldn't be thinking like this, tomorrow was her birthday after all. And no one had died in Gloves's care. Not ever.

'I need to get my mind off this for a while.' She thought to herself. Sitting up, she looked around the room. Nothing too interesting, just a few bookshelves. Her eyes halted at the bathroom door. Maybe Richard kept scissors in one of the drawers. Raven stood and, before she could have second thoughts, ran to the bathroom. She found a pair of scissors in the first drawer she opened.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." She whispered. The scissors made a sound like the unsheathing of a sword when she opened them and a grating sound as they closed over a clump of violet hair. A four-inch length of her hair fell to the ground and she stared at it. Shrugging, she cut the same amount from the other side. Her hair angled up and back, the front barely reached her chin and the back was clipped off at the nape of her neck. Raven sat on the floor and wept.

* * *

Richard was happy that the stores in Gotham were open all day and night. He didn't have time to wait for an owner to come unlock a door for him. He looked through several jewelry stores and found nothing. It finally occurred to him that Raven wouldn't want something so frivolous as a necklace dripping with diamonds or white-gold earrings etched with amethysts.

He searched for a place that would suit Raven. Not Hot Topic or Icing or Charlotte Ruesse. He gave up. As he walked to his car-a black 911 Turbo-he noticed a simple flower shop. Flowers weren't that flashy and Raven might actually appreciate a simple pleasure like that.

In the end, Richard bought a small bouquet of deep purple Lilacs. They smelled wonderful. He drove home quickly and stowed the Lilacs in the fridge in a crystal vase from the cupboard.

As Richard walked back up the stairs he wondered what Raven would think. 'She'll be happy' he reassured himself. If she didn't, he could always crush them, or burn them, or cry.

He turned a corner and heard a faint noise. Was… was someone crying? Richard ran forward and threw the door open. Light filtered through the cracks in the bathroom door. He walked over slowly and opened the door.

Raven was sitting on the floor, surrounded by locks of shorn purple hair. Tears leaked from between her fingers which covered her face in a desperate attempt to muffle her sobs. The scene didn't seem to register at first and after a few moments he realized something. Raven was crying.

Richard knelt next to her and pried her shaking hands from her face. He wondered what she needed to cry for. It was just hair; it would grow back.

"Raven?" He whispered gently. She was a mess.

"I-I-I'll n-never see them ak-." Richard rubbed her back as she choked on her tears.

"Who won't you see again Raven?"

"Ven and X and Claire and Joey and Melissa and- what'll I do? Richard, what'll I do?"

"I could take you to see them."

"No, you couldn't. They've probably moved the Hideout by now."

"Raven?" She looked up at him.

Their eyes caught for a moment and that was enough. Richard put his lips to hers. She didn't move at first, and then her arms held his waist carefully. He pulled away.

"How was that?"

Raven stared at him for a moment, and then lifted her face to his and she kissed him again. For a blissful instant, they held each other. Then, it was over, and Richard was pulling Raven to her feet.

"Richard?"

"Yeah?"

"What about the mess?" He looked at the floor and then back into her eyes.

"It can wait."

Richard put Raven in bed and went to lie on the couch. A few silent minutes passed between them and Raven sat up.

"Dick, will you sleep with me?"

"What?!"

"No… not like that. Just lay there and help me sleep. I'm having a bad night."

Richard sat up. He looked the clock before responding.

"_Sure, but it's morning now."

* * *

_

A/N I had fun writing this. I have no Valentine this year. The guy I like has a girlfriend. Who is a lot like me. Besides, he doesn't like Valentine's Day. Oh well. At least I still have Dev. and Mordicus(see PhD[Phantasy Degree).


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